2026-04-03T20:20:31Zhttps://recercat.cat/oai/requestoai:recercat.cat:10256/285652026-03-27T00:12:44Zcom_2072_452966com_2072_2054col_2072_452968
RECERCAT
author
López Cerdà, Àlex
2026-03-27T00:12:44Z
2026-03-27T00:12:44Z
2025-07
https://hdl.handle.net/10256/28565
Palatability, understood as the consumption response to a food item, is a key tool for
understanding the dietary preferences and feeding strategies of social species. This study
investigates the palatability of three types of artificial diets in various Mediterranean and
invasive ant species with differing colonial structures. The evaluated diets were:
- Unmodified Bhatkar: prepared with honey, vitamins, minerals, water, agar, and egg.
- Carbohydrate Bhatkar: Bhatkar diet without the protein component (egg).
- Protein Bhatkar: Bhatkar diet without the glucidic component (honey).
The main objective was to determine whether significant differences exist in consumption
patterns based on taxonomic proximity (subfamilies and genera), diet type, colony structure
(unicolonial or multicolonial), and seasonality. This knowledge is relevant because it helps to
better understand the nutritional preferences of each group and species, with the aim of
improving the effectiveness of bait-based treatments used in ant pest control.
For this study, six ant species were selected as representatives of ecologically relevant
contexts and problems related to human activity and biodiversity either due to their role as
domestic, urban, or forest pests, or because they are considered invasive exotic species:
Linepithema humile (Mayr, 1868), Lasius neglectus (Van Loon, Boomsma & Andrásfalvy,
1990), Tapinoma darioi (Seifert et al., 2017), Crematogaster scutellaris (Olivier, 1792), Lasius
niger (Linnaeus, 1758), and Pheidole pallidula (Nylander, 1849).
The assays were conducted during two key stages of the annual cycle: spring and autumn.
This approach allows an assessment of whether dietary preferences are modulated by
biological phases such as egg-laying or resource storage.
The results show that, in general, unicolonial ant species exhibited a strong preference for the
Bhatkar diet during spring. Multicolonial species, on the other hand, showed a more
heterogeneous consumption pattern and a less marked seasonal response.
This study contributes to the understanding of trophic ecology and the management of invasive
ant species and pests, as it opens new perspectives to analyse the relationship between food
preference, biological cycle, and social structure in pest formicid species in the Mediterranean
region15
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Formigues -- Alimentació -- Mediterrània, Regió
Formigues -- Hàbits i conducta -- Mediterrània, Regió
Invasions biològiques -- Mediterrània, Regió
Ants -- Feeding and feeds -- Mediterranean Region
Ants -- Behavior -- Mediterranean Region
Biological invasions -- Mediterranean Region
Linepithema humile
Lasius neglectus
Tapinoma darioi
Crematogaster scutellaris
Lasius niger
Pheidole pallidula
Estudi de la palatabilitat de tres preferències nutricionals en formigues plaga unicolonials i multicolonials de l’àrea mediterrània
info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis